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  <section id="add-custom-command">
<span id="command:add_custom_command"></span><h1>add_custom_command<a class="headerlink" href="#add-custom-command" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h1>
<p>Add a custom build rule to the generated build system.</p>
<p>There are two main signatures for <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command</span></code>.</p>
<section id="generating-files">
<span id="add-custom-command-output"></span><h2>Generating Files<a class="headerlink" href="#generating-files" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>The first signature is for adding a custom command to produce an output:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_custom_command(</span><span class="no">OUTPUT</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">output1</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nb">output2</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">...]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">command1</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">ARGS</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nb">args1...</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">command2</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">ARGS</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nb">args2...</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">...]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">MAIN_DEPENDENCY</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">depend</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">DEPENDS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nb">depends...</span><span class="p">]]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">BYPRODUCTS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nb">files...</span><span class="p">]]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">IMPLICIT_DEPENDS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;lang1&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">depend1</span>
<span class="w">                                    </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nv">&lt;lang2&gt;</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">depend2</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">...]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">WORKING_DIRECTORY</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">dir</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">COMMENT</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">comment</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">DEPFILE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">depfile</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">JOB_POOL</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">job_pool</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">JOB_SERVER_AWARE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;bool&gt;</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">VERBATIM</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">APPEND</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">USES_TERMINAL</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">CODEGEN</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">COMMAND_EXPAND_LISTS</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">DEPENDS_EXPLICIT_ONLY</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>This defines a command to generate specified <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT</span></code> file(s).
A target created in the same directory (<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMakeLists.txt</span></code> file)
that specifies any output of the custom command as a source file
is given a rule to generate the file using the command at build time.</p>
<p>Do not list the output in more than one independent target that
may build in parallel or the instances of the rule may conflict.
Instead, use the <span class="target" id="index-0-command:add_custom_target"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_custom_target.html#command:add_custom_target" title="add_custom_target"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_target()</span></code></a> command to drive the
command and make the other targets depend on that one.  See the
<a class="reference internal" href="#example-generating-files-for-multiple-targets">Example: Generating Files for Multiple Targets</a> below.</p>
<p>The options are:</p>
<dl>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code></dt><dd><p>Append the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPENDS</span></code> option values to the custom
command for the first output specified.  There must have already
been a previous call to this command with the same output.</p>
<p>If the previous call specified the output via a generator expression,
the output specified by the current call must match in at least one
configuration after evaluating generator expressions.  In this case,
the appended commands and dependencies apply to all configurations.</p>
<p>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMENT</span></code>, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MAIN_DEPENDENCY</span></code>, and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">WORKING_DIRECTORY</span></code>
options are currently ignored when <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> is given, but may be
used in the future.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BYPRODUCTS</span></code></dt><dd><div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.2.</span></p>
</div>
<p>Specify the files the command is expected to produce but whose
modification time may or may not be newer than the dependencies.
If a byproduct name is a relative path it will be interpreted
relative to the build tree directory corresponding to the
current source directory.
Each byproduct file will be marked with the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_sf:GENERATED"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_sf/GENERATED.html#prop_sf:GENERATED" title="GENERATED"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_sf docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">GENERATED</span></code></a>
source file property automatically.</p>
<p><em>See policy</em> <span class="target" id="index-0-policy:CMP0058"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0058.html#policy:CMP0058" title="CMP0058"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0058</span></code></a> <em>for the motivation behind this feature.</em></p>
<p>Explicit specification of byproducts is supported by the
<span class="target" id="index-0-generator:Ninja"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/Ninja.html#generator:Ninja" title="Ninja"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Ninja</span></code></a> generator to tell the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ninja</span></code> build tool
how to regenerate byproducts when they are missing.  It is
also useful when other build rules (e.g. custom commands)
depend on the byproducts.  Ninja requires a build rule for any
generated file on which another rule depends even if there are
order-only dependencies to ensure the byproducts will be
available before their dependents build.</p>
<p>The <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#makefile-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Makefile Generators</span></a> will remove <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BYPRODUCTS</span></code> and other
<span class="target" id="index-1-prop_sf:GENERATED"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_sf/GENERATED.html#prop_sf:GENERATED" title="GENERATED"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_sf docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">GENERATED</span></code></a> files during <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">make</span> <span class="pre">clean</span></code>.</p>
<p>This keyword cannot be used with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> (see policy <span class="target" id="index-0-policy:CMP0175"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0175.html#policy:CMP0175" title="CMP0175"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0175</span></code></a>).
All byproducts must be set in the first call to
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command(OUTPUT...)</span></code> for the output files.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.20: </span>Arguments to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BYPRODUCTS</span></code> may use a restricted set of
<span class="target" id="index-0-manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)" title="cmake-generator-expressions(7)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-manual docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">generator</span> <span class="pre">expressions</span></code></a>.
<a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#target-dependent-expressions"><span class="std std-ref">Target-dependent expressions</span></a>
are not permitted.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionchanged">
<p><span class="versionmodified changed">Changed in version 3.28: </span>In targets using <a class="reference internal" href="target_sources.html#file-sets"><span class="std std-ref">File Sets</span></a>, custom command byproducts are now
considered private unless they are listed in a non-private file set.
See policy <span class="target" id="index-0-policy:CMP0154"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0154.html#policy:CMP0154" title="CMP0154"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0154</span></code></a>.</p>
</div>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code></dt><dd><p>Specify the command-line(s) to execute at build time.
At least one <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> would normally be given, but certain patterns
may omit it, such as adding commands in separate calls using <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code>.</p>
<p>If more than one <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> is specified, they will be executed in order,
but <em>not</em> necessarily composed into a stateful shell or batch script.
To run a full script, use the <span class="target" id="index-0-command:configure_file"></span><a class="reference internal" href="configure_file.html#command:configure_file" title="configure_file"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">configure_file()</span></code></a> command or the
<span class="target" id="index-0-command:file"></span><a class="reference internal" href="file.html#generate" title="file(generate)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">file(GENERATE)</span></code></a> command to create it, and then specify
a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> to launch it.</p>
<p>The optional <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ARGS</span></code> argument is for backward compatibility and
will be ignored.</p>
<p>If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> specifies an executable target name (created by the
<span class="target" id="index-0-command:add_executable"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_executable.html#command:add_executable" title="add_executable"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_executable()</span></code></a> command), it will automatically be replaced
by the location of the executable created at build time if either of
the following is true:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>The target is not being cross-compiled (i.e. the
<span class="target" id="index-0-variable:CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../variable/CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING.html#variable:CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING" title="CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING"><code class="xref cmake cmake-variable docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_CROSSCOMPILING</span></code></a> variable is not set to true).</p></li>
<li><div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.6: </span>The target is being cross-compiled and an emulator is provided (i.e.
its <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR.html#prop_tgt:CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR" title="CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR</span></code></a> target property is set).
In this case, the contents of <span class="target" id="index-1-prop_tgt:CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR.html#prop_tgt:CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR" title="CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CROSSCOMPILING_EMULATOR</span></code></a> will be
prepended to the command before the location of the target executable.</p>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<p>If neither of the above conditions are met, it is assumed that the
command name is a program to be found on the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PATH</span></code> at build time.</p>
<p>Arguments to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> may use
<span class="target" id="index-1-manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)" title="cmake-generator-expressions(7)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-manual docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">generator</span> <span class="pre">expressions</span></code></a>.
Use the <span class="target" id="index-0-genex:TARGET_FILE"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#genex:TARGET_FILE" title="TARGET_FILE"><code class="xref cmake cmake-genex docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TARGET_FILE</span></code></a> generator expression to refer to the location
of a target later in the command line (i.e. as a command argument rather
than as the command to execute).</p>
<p>Whenever one of the following target based generator expressions are used as
a command to execute or is mentioned in a command argument, a target-level
dependency will be added automatically so that the mentioned target will be
built before any target using this custom command
(see policy <span class="target" id="index-0-policy:CMP0112"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0112.html#policy:CMP0112" title="CMP0112"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0112</span></code></a>).</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TARGET_FILE</span></code></p></li>
<li><p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TARGET_LINKER_FILE</span></code></p></li>
<li><p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TARGET_SONAME_FILE</span></code></p></li>
<li><p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TARGET_PDB_FILE</span></code></p></li>
</ul>
<p>This target-level dependency does NOT add a file-level dependency that would
cause the custom command to re-run whenever the executable is recompiled.
List target names with the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPENDS</span></code> option to add such file-level
dependencies.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMENT</span></code></dt><dd><p>Display the given message before the commands are executed at
build time.  This will be ignored if <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> is given, although a future
version may use it.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.26: </span>Arguments to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMENT</span></code> may use
<span class="target" id="index-2-manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)" title="cmake-generator-expressions(7)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-manual docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">generator</span> <span class="pre">expressions</span></code></a>.</p>
</div>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPENDS</span></code></dt><dd><p>Specify files on which the command depends.  Each argument is converted
to a dependency as follows:</p>
<ol class="arabic simple">
<li><p>If the argument is the name of a target (created by the
<span class="target" id="index-1-command:add_custom_target"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_custom_target.html#command:add_custom_target" title="add_custom_target"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_target()</span></code></a>, <span class="target" id="index-1-command:add_executable"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_executable.html#command:add_executable" title="add_executable"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_executable()</span></code></a>, or
<span class="target" id="index-0-command:add_library"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_library.html#command:add_library" title="add_library"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_library()</span></code></a> command) a target-level dependency is
created to make sure the target is built before any target
using this custom command.  Additionally, if the target is an
executable or library, a file-level dependency is created to
cause the custom command to re-run whenever the target is
recompiled.</p></li>
<li><p>If the argument is an absolute path, a file-level dependency
is created on that path.</p></li>
<li><p>If the argument is the name of a source file that has been
added to a target or on which a source file property has been set,
a file-level dependency is created on that source file.</p></li>
<li><p>If the argument is a relative path and it exists in the current
source directory, a file-level dependency is created on that
file in the current source directory.</p></li>
<li><p>Otherwise, a file-level dependency is created on that path relative
to the current binary directory.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>If any dependency is an <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT</span></code> of another custom command in the same
directory (<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMakeLists.txt</span></code> file), CMake automatically brings the other
custom command into the target in which this command is built.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.16: </span>A target-level dependency is added if any dependency is listed as
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BYPRODUCTS</span></code> of a target or any of its build events in the same
directory to ensure the byproducts will be available.</p>
</div>
<p>If <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPENDS</span></code> is not specified, the command will run whenever
the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT</span></code> is missing; if the command does not actually
create the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT</span></code>, the rule will always run.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.1: </span>Arguments to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPENDS</span></code> may use
<span class="target" id="index-3-manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)" title="cmake-generator-expressions(7)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-manual docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">generator</span> <span class="pre">expressions</span></code></a>.</p>
</div>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND_EXPAND_LISTS</span></code></dt><dd><div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.8.</span></p>
</div>
<p>Lists in <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> arguments will be expanded, including those
created with
<span class="target" id="index-4-manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)" title="cmake-generator-expressions(7)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-manual docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">generator</span> <span class="pre">expressions</span></code></a>,
allowing <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> arguments such as
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">${CC}</span> <span class="pre">&quot;-I$&lt;JOIN:$&lt;TARGET_PROPERTY:foo,INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES&gt;,;-I&gt;&quot;</span> <span class="pre">foo.cc</span></code>
to be properly expanded.</p>
<p>This keyword cannot be used with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> (see policy <span class="target" id="index-1-policy:CMP0175"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0175.html#policy:CMP0175" title="CMP0175"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0175</span></code></a>).
If the appended commands need this option to be set, it must be set on the
first call to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command(OUTPUT...)</span></code> for the output files.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CODEGEN</span></code></dt><dd><div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.31.</span></p>
</div>
<p>Adds the custom command to a global <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">codegen</span></code> target that can be
used to execute the custom command while avoiding the majority of the
build graph.</p>
<p>This option is supported only by <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#ninja-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Ninja Generators</span></a> and
<a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#makefile-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Makefile Generators</span></a>, and is ignored by other generators.
Furthermore, this option is allowed only if policy <span class="target" id="index-0-policy:CMP0171"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0171.html#policy:CMP0171" title="CMP0171"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0171</span></code></a>
is set to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">NEW</span></code>.</p>
<p>This keyword cannot be used with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> (see policy <span class="target" id="index-2-policy:CMP0175"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0175.html#policy:CMP0175" title="CMP0175"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0175</span></code></a>).
It can only be set on the first call to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command(OUTPUT...)</span></code>
for the output files.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPLICIT_DEPENDS</span></code></dt><dd><p>Request scanning of implicit dependencies of an input file.
The language given specifies the programming language whose
corresponding dependency scanner should be used.
Currently only <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">C</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CXX</span></code> language scanners are supported.
The language has to be specified for every file in the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPLICIT_DEPENDS</span></code> list.  Dependencies discovered from the
scanning are added to those of the custom command at build time.
Note that the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPLICIT_DEPENDS</span></code> option is currently supported
only for Makefile generators and will be ignored by other generators.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>This option cannot be specified at the same time as <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPFILE</span></code> option.</p>
</div>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">JOB_POOL</span></code></dt><dd><div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.15.</span></p>
</div>
<p>Specify a <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_gbl:JOB_POOLS"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_gbl/JOB_POOLS.html#prop_gbl:JOB_POOLS" title="JOB_POOLS"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_gbl docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pool</span></code></a> for the <span class="target" id="index-1-generator:Ninja"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/Ninja.html#generator:Ninja" title="Ninja"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Ninja</span></code></a>
generator. Incompatible with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">USES_TERMINAL</span></code>, which implies
the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">console</span></code> pool.
Using a pool that is not defined by <span class="target" id="index-1-prop_gbl:JOB_POOLS"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_gbl/JOB_POOLS.html#prop_gbl:JOB_POOLS" title="JOB_POOLS"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_gbl docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">JOB_POOLS</span></code></a> causes
an error by ninja at build time.</p>
<p>This keyword cannot be used with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> (see policy <span class="target" id="index-3-policy:CMP0175"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0175.html#policy:CMP0175" title="CMP0175"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0175</span></code></a>).
Job pools can only be specified in the first call to
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command(OUTPUT...)</span></code> for the output files.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">JOB_SERVER_AWARE</span></code></dt><dd><div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.28.</span></p>
</div>
<p>Specify that the command is GNU Make job server aware.</p>
<p>For the <span class="target" id="index-0-generator:Unix Makefiles"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/Unix%20Makefiles.html#generator:Unix Makefiles" title="Unix Makefiles"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Unix</span> <span class="pre">Makefiles</span></code></a>, <span class="target" id="index-0-generator:MSYS Makefiles"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/MSYS%20Makefiles.html#generator:MSYS Makefiles" title="MSYS Makefiles"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MSYS</span> <span class="pre">Makefiles</span></code></a>, and
<span class="target" id="index-0-generator:MinGW Makefiles"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/MinGW%20Makefiles.html#generator:MinGW Makefiles" title="MinGW Makefiles"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MinGW</span> <span class="pre">Makefiles</span></code></a> generators this will add the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">+</span></code> prefix to the
recipe line. See the <a class="reference external" href="https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/MAKE-Variable.html">GNU Make Documentation</a> for more information.</p>
<p>This option is silently ignored by other generators.</p>
<p>This keyword cannot be used with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> (see policy <span class="target" id="index-4-policy:CMP0175"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0175.html#policy:CMP0175" title="CMP0175"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0175</span></code></a>).
Job server awareness can only be specified in the first call to
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command(OUTPUT...)</span></code> for the output files.</p>
</dd>
</dl>
<dl>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">MAIN_DEPENDENCY</span></code></dt><dd><p>Specify the primary input source file to the command.  This is
treated just like any value given to the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPENDS</span></code> option
but also suggests to <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#visual-studio-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Visual Studio Generators</span></a> where to hang
the custom command. Each source file may have at most one command
specifying it as its main dependency. A compile command (i.e. for a
library or an executable) counts as an implicit main dependency which
gets silently overwritten by a custom command specification.</p>
<p>This option is currently ignored if <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> is given, but a future
version may use it.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT</span></code></dt><dd><p>Specify the output files the command is expected to produce.
Each output file will be marked with the <span class="target" id="index-2-prop_sf:GENERATED"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_sf/GENERATED.html#prop_sf:GENERATED" title="GENERATED"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_sf docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">GENERATED</span></code></a>
source file property automatically.
If the output of the custom command is not actually created
as a file on disk it should be marked with the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_sf:SYMBOLIC"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_sf/SYMBOLIC.html#prop_sf:SYMBOLIC" title="SYMBOLIC"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_sf docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">SYMBOLIC</span></code></a>
source file property.</p>
<p>If an output file name is a relative path, its absolute path is
determined by interpreting it relative to:</p>
<ol class="arabic simple">
<li><p>the build directory corresponding to the current source directory
(<span class="target" id="index-0-variable:CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../variable/CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR.html#variable:CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR" title="CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR"><code class="xref cmake cmake-variable docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR</span></code></a>), or</p></li>
<li><p>the current source directory (<span class="target" id="index-0-variable:CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../variable/CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR.html#variable:CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR" title="CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR"><code class="xref cmake cmake-variable docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR</span></code></a>).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The path in the build directory is preferred unless the path in the
source tree is mentioned as an absolute source file path elsewhere
in the current directory.</p>
<p>The output file path may not contain <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;</span></code> or <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&gt;</span></code> characters.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.20: </span>Arguments to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUT</span></code> may use a restricted set of
<span class="target" id="index-5-manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)" title="cmake-generator-expressions(7)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-manual docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">generator</span> <span class="pre">expressions</span></code></a>.
<a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#target-dependent-expressions"><span class="std std-ref">Target-dependent expressions</span></a>
are not permitted.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionchanged">
<p><span class="versionmodified changed">Changed in version 3.28: </span>In targets using <a class="reference internal" href="target_sources.html#file-sets"><span class="std std-ref">File Sets</span></a>, custom command outputs are now
considered private unless they are listed in a non-private file set.
See policy <span class="target" id="index-1-policy:CMP0154"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0154.html#policy:CMP0154" title="CMP0154"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0154</span></code></a>.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionchanged">
<p><span class="versionmodified changed">Changed in version 3.30: </span>The output file path may now use <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">#</span></code> characters, except
when using the <span class="target" id="index-0-generator:Borland Makefiles"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/Borland%20Makefiles.html#generator:Borland Makefiles" title="Borland Makefiles"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Borland</span> <span class="pre">Makefiles</span></code></a> generator.</p>
</div>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">USES_TERMINAL</span></code></dt><dd><div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.2.</span></p>
</div>
<p>The command will be given direct access to the terminal if possible.
With the <span class="target" id="index-2-generator:Ninja"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/Ninja.html#generator:Ninja" title="Ninja"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Ninja</span></code></a> generator, this places the command in
the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">console</span></code> <span class="target" id="index-2-prop_gbl:JOB_POOLS"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_gbl/JOB_POOLS.html#prop_gbl:JOB_POOLS" title="JOB_POOLS"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_gbl docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pool</span></code></a>.</p>
<p>This keyword cannot be used with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> (see policy <span class="target" id="index-5-policy:CMP0175"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0175.html#policy:CMP0175" title="CMP0175"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0175</span></code></a>).
If the appended commands need access to the terminal, it must be set on
the first call to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command(OUTPUT...)</span></code> for the output files.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">VERBATIM</span></code></dt><dd><p>All arguments to the commands will be escaped properly for the
build tool so that the invoked command receives each argument
unchanged.  Note that one level of escapes is still used by the
CMake language processor before add_custom_command even sees the
arguments.  Use of <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">VERBATIM</span></code> is recommended as it enables
correct behavior.  When <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">VERBATIM</span></code> is not given the behavior
is platform specific because there is no protection of
tool-specific special characters.</p>
<p>This keyword cannot be used with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> (see policy <span class="target" id="index-6-policy:CMP0175"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0175.html#policy:CMP0175" title="CMP0175"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0175</span></code></a>).
If the appended commands need to be treated as <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">VERBATIM</span></code>, it must be set
on the first call to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command(OUTPUT...)</span></code> for the output files.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">WORKING_DIRECTORY</span></code></dt><dd><p>Execute the command with the given current working directory.
If it is a relative path, it will be interpreted relative to the
build tree directory corresponding to the current source directory.</p>
<p>This option is currently ignored if <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> is given, but a future
version may use it.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.13: </span>Arguments to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">WORKING_DIRECTORY</span></code> may use
<span class="target" id="index-6-manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)" title="cmake-generator-expressions(7)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-manual docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">generator</span> <span class="pre">expressions</span></code></a>.</p>
</div>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPFILE</span></code></dt><dd><div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.7.</span></p>
</div>
<p>Specify a depfile which holds dependencies for the custom command. It is
usually emitted by the custom command itself.  This keyword may only be used
if the generator supports it, as detailed below.</p>
<p>The expected format, compatible with what is generated by <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">gcc</span></code> with the
option <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">-M</span></code>, is independent of the generator or platform.</p>
<p>The formal syntax, as specified using
<a class="reference external" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backus%E2%80%93Naur_form">BNF</a> notation with
the regular extensions, is the following:</p>
<pre>
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-depfile">depfile      </strong> ::=  <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-rule"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">rule</span></code></a>*
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-rule">rule         </strong> ::=  <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-targets"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">targets</span></code></a> (':' (<a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-separator"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">separator</span></code></a> <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-dependencies"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">dependencies</span></code></a>?)?)? <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-eol"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">eol</span></code></a>
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-targets">targets      </strong> ::=  <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-target"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target</span></code></a> (<a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-separator"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">separator</span></code></a> <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-target"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">target</span></code></a>)* <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-separator"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">separator</span></code></a>*
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-target">target       </strong> ::=  <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-pathname"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pathname</span></code></a>
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-dependencies">dependencies </strong> ::=  <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-dependency"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">dependency</span></code></a> (<a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-separator"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">separator</span></code></a> <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-dependency"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">dependency</span></code></a>)* <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-separator"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">separator</span></code></a>*
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-dependency">dependency   </strong> ::=  <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-pathname"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pathname</span></code></a>
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-separator">separator    </strong> ::=  (<a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-space"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">space</span></code></a> | <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-line_continue"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">line_continue</span></code></a>)+
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-line_continue">line_continue</strong> ::=  '\' <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-eol"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">eol</span></code></a>
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-space">space        </strong> ::=  ' ' | '\t'
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-pathname">pathname     </strong> ::=  <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-character"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">character</span></code></a>+
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-character">character    </strong> ::=  <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-std_character"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">std_character</span></code></a> | <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-dollar"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">dollar</span></code></a> | <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-hash"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">hash</span></code></a> | <a class="reference internal" href="#grammar-token-depfile-whitespace"><code class="xref docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">whitespace</span></code></a>
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-std_character">std_character</strong> ::=  &lt;any character except '$', '#' or ' '&gt;
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-dollar">dollar       </strong> ::=  '$$'
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-hash">hash         </strong> ::=  '\#'
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-whitespace">whitespace   </strong> ::=  '\ '
<strong id="grammar-token-depfile-eol">eol          </strong> ::=  '\r'? '\n'
</pre>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>As part of <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">pathname</span></code>, any slash and backslash is interpreted as
a directory separator.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.7: </span>The <span class="target" id="index-3-generator:Ninja"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/Ninja.html#generator:Ninja" title="Ninja"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Ninja</span></code></a> generator supports <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPFILE</span></code> since the keyword
was first added.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.17: </span>Added the <span class="target" id="index-0-generator:Ninja Multi-Config"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/Ninja%20Multi-Config.html#generator:Ninja Multi-Config" title="Ninja Multi-Config"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Ninja</span> <span class="pre">Multi-Config</span></code></a> generator, which included
support for the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPFILE</span></code> keyword.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.20: </span>Added support for <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#makefile-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Makefile Generators</span></a>.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPFILE</span></code> cannot be specified at the same time as the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">IMPLICIT_DEPENDS</span></code> option for <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#makefile-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Makefile Generators</span></a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.21: </span>Added support for <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#visual-studio-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Visual Studio Generators</span></a> with VS 2012 and above,
and for the <span class="target" id="index-0-generator:Xcode"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/Xcode.html#generator:Xcode" title="Xcode"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Xcode</span></code></a> generator.  Support for
<span class="target" id="index-7-manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generator-expressions.7.html#manual:cmake-generator-expressions(7)" title="cmake-generator-expressions(7)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-manual docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">generator</span> <span class="pre">expressions</span></code></a> was also
added.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.29: </span>The <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#ninja-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Ninja Generators</span></a> will now incorporate the dependencies into its
&quot;deps log&quot; database if the file is not listed in <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OUTPUTS</span></code> or
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">BYPRODUCTS</span></code>.</p>
</div>
<p>Using <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPFILE</span></code> with generators other than those listed above is an error.</p>
<p>If the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPFILE</span></code> argument is relative, it should be relative to
<span class="target" id="index-1-variable:CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../variable/CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR.html#variable:CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR" title="CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR"><code class="xref cmake cmake-variable docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR</span></code></a>, and any relative paths inside the
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPFILE</span></code> should also be relative to <span class="target" id="index-2-variable:CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../variable/CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR.html#variable:CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR" title="CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR"><code class="xref cmake cmake-variable docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR</span></code></a>.
See policy <span class="target" id="index-0-policy:CMP0116"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0116.html#policy:CMP0116" title="CMP0116"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0116</span></code></a>, which is always <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">NEW</span></code> for
<a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#makefile-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Makefile Generators</span></a>, <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#visual-studio-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Visual Studio Generators</span></a>,
and the <span class="target" id="index-1-generator:Xcode"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/Xcode.html#generator:Xcode" title="Xcode"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Xcode</span></code></a> generator.</p>
<p>This keyword cannot be used with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> (see policy <span class="target" id="index-7-policy:CMP0175"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0175.html#policy:CMP0175" title="CMP0175"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0175</span></code></a>).
Depfiles can only be set on the first call to
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command(OUTPUT...)</span></code> for the output files.</p>
</dd>
</dl>
<p><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPENDS_EXPLICIT_ONLY</span></code></p>
<blockquote>
<div><div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.27.</span></p>
</div>
<p>Indicates that the command's <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">DEPENDS</span></code> argument represents all files
required by the command and implicit dependencies are not required.</p>
<p>Without this option, if any target uses the output of the custom command,
CMake will consider that target's dependencies as implicit dependencies for
the custom command in case this custom command requires files implicitly
created by those targets.</p>
<p>This option can be enabled on all custom commands by setting
<span class="target" id="index-0-variable:CMAKE_ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND_DEPENDS_EXPLICIT_ONLY"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../variable/CMAKE_ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND_DEPENDS_EXPLICIT_ONLY.html#variable:CMAKE_ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND_DEPENDS_EXPLICIT_ONLY" title="CMAKE_ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND_DEPENDS_EXPLICIT_ONLY"><code class="xref cmake cmake-variable docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMAKE_ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND_DEPENDS_EXPLICIT_ONLY</span></code></a> to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">ON</span></code>.</p>
<p>This keyword cannot be used with <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">APPEND</span></code> (see policy <span class="target" id="index-8-policy:CMP0175"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0175.html#policy:CMP0175" title="CMP0175"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0175</span></code></a>).
It can only be set on the first call to <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command(OUTPUT...)</span></code>
for the output files.</p>
<p>Only the <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#ninja-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Ninja Generators</span></a> actually use this information to remove
unnecessary implicit dependencies.</p>
<p>See also the <span class="target" id="index-0-prop_tgt:OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../prop_tgt/OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES.html#prop_tgt:OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES" title="OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES"><code class="xref cmake cmake-prop_tgt docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">OPTIMIZE_DEPENDENCIES</span></code></a> target property, which may
provide another way for reducing the impact of target dependencies in some
scenarios.</p>
</div></blockquote>
</section>
<section id="examples-generating-files">
<h2>Examples: Generating Files<a class="headerlink" href="#examples-generating-files" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>Custom commands may be used to generate source files.
For example, the code:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_custom_command(</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">OUTPUT</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">out.c</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">someTool</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">i</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">${</span><span class="nt">CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR</span><span class="o">}</span><span class="na">/in.txt</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">o</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">out.c</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">DEPENDS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">${</span><span class="nt">CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR</span><span class="o">}</span><span class="na">/in.txt</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">VERBATIM</span><span class="nf">)</span>
<span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nb">myLib</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">out.c</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>adds a custom command to run <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">someTool</span></code> to generate <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">out.c</span></code> and then
compile the generated source as part of a library.  The generation rule
will re-run whenever <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">in.txt</span></code> changes.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.20: </span>One may use generator expressions to specify per-configuration outputs.
For example, the code:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_custom_command(</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">OUTPUT</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;out-$&lt;CONFIG&gt;.c&quot;</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">someTool</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">i</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">${</span><span class="nt">CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR</span><span class="o">}</span><span class="na">/in.txt</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">o</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;out-$&lt;CONFIG&gt;.c&quot;</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">c</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;$&lt;CONFIG&gt;&quot;</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">DEPENDS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">${</span><span class="nt">CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR</span><span class="o">}</span><span class="na">/in.txt</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">VERBATIM</span><span class="nf">)</span>
<span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nb">myLib</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;out-$&lt;CONFIG&gt;.c&quot;</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>adds a custom command to run <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">someTool</span></code> to generate <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">out-&lt;config&gt;.c</span></code>,
where <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;config&gt;</span></code> is the build configuration, and then compile the generated
source as part of a library.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.31: </span>Use the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CODEGEN</span></code> option to add a custom command's outputs to the builtin
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">codegen</span></code> target.  This is useful to make generated code available for
 static analysis without building the entire project.  For example:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_executable(</span><span class="nb">someTool</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">someTool.c</span><span class="nf">)</span>

<span class="nf">add_custom_command(</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">OUTPUT</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">out.c</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">someTool</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">o</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">out.c</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">CODEGEN</span><span class="nf">)</span>

<span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nb">myLib</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">out.c</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>A user may build the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">codegen</span></code> target to generate <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">out.c</span></code>.
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">someTool</span></code> is built as dependency, but <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">myLib</span></code> is not built at all.</p>
</div>
<section id="example-generating-files-for-multiple-targets">
<h3>Example: Generating Files for Multiple Targets<a class="headerlink" href="#example-generating-files-for-multiple-targets" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
<p>If multiple independent targets need the same custom command output,
it must be attached to a single custom target on which they all depend.
Consider the following example:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_custom_command(</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">OUTPUT</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">table.csv</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">makeTable</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">i</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">${</span><span class="nt">CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR</span><span class="o">}</span><span class="na">/input.dat</span>
<span class="w">                    </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">o</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">table.csv</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">DEPENDS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="o">${</span><span class="nt">CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR</span><span class="o">}</span><span class="na">/input.dat</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">VERBATIM</span><span class="nf">)</span>
<span class="nf">add_custom_target(</span><span class="nb">generate_table_csv</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">DEPENDS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">table.csv</span><span class="nf">)</span>

<span class="nf">add_custom_command(</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">OUTPUT</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">foo.cxx</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">genFromTable</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">i</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">table.csv</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">case</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">foo</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">o</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">foo.cxx</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">DEPENDS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">table.csv</span><span class="w">           </span><span class="c"># file-level dependency</span>
<span class="w">          </span><span class="nb">generate_table_csv</span><span class="w">  </span><span class="c"># target-level dependency</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">VERBATIM</span><span class="nf">)</span>
<span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nb">foo</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">foo.cxx</span><span class="nf">)</span>

<span class="nf">add_custom_command(</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">OUTPUT</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">bar.cxx</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">genFromTable</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">i</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">table.csv</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">case</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">bar</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">o</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">bar.cxx</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">DEPENDS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">table.csv</span><span class="w">           </span><span class="c"># file-level dependency</span>
<span class="w">          </span><span class="nb">generate_table_csv</span><span class="w">  </span><span class="c"># target-level dependency</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">VERBATIM</span><span class="nf">)</span>
<span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nb">bar</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">bar.cxx</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>Output <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">foo.cxx</span></code> is needed only by target <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">foo</span></code> and output <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">bar.cxx</span></code>
is needed only by target <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">bar</span></code>, but <em>both</em> targets need <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">table.csv</span></code>,
transitively.  Since <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">foo</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">bar</span></code> are independent targets that may
build concurrently, we prevent them from racing to generate <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">table.csv</span></code>
by placing its custom command in a separate target, <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">generate_table_csv</span></code>.
The custom commands generating <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">foo.cxx</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">bar.cxx</span></code> each specify a
target-level dependency on <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">generate_table_csv</span></code>, so the targets using them,
<code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">foo</span></code> and <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">bar</span></code>, will not build until after target <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">generate_table_csv</span></code>
is built.</p>
</section>
</section>
<section id="build-events">
<span id="add-custom-command-target"></span><h2>Build Events<a class="headerlink" href="#build-events" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>The second signature adds a custom command to a target such as a
library or executable.  This is useful for performing an operation
before or after building the target.  The command becomes part of the
target and will only execute when the target itself is built.  If the
target is already built, the command will not execute.</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_custom_command(</span><span class="no">TARGET</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nv">&lt;target&gt;</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="no">PRE_BUILD</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">|</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">PRE_LINK</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">|</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">POST_BUILD</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">command1</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">ARGS</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nb">args1...</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">command2</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">ARGS</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nb">args2...</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">...]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">BYPRODUCTS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="nb">files...</span><span class="p">]]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">WORKING_DIRECTORY</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">dir</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">COMMENT</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">comment</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">VERBATIM</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">COMMAND_EXPAND_LISTS</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="w">                   </span><span class="p">[</span><span class="no">USES_TERMINAL</span><span class="p">]</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>This defines a new command that will be associated with building the
specified <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;target&gt;</span></code>.  The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;target&gt;</span></code> must be defined in the current
directory; targets defined in other directories may not be specified.</p>
<p>When the command will happen is determined by which
of the following is specified:</p>
<dl class="simple">
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PRE_BUILD</span></code></dt><dd><p>This option has unique behavior for the <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#visual-studio-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Visual Studio Generators</span></a>.
When using one of the Visual Studio generators, the command will run before
any other rules are executed within the target.  With all other generators,
this option behaves the same as <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PRE_LINK</span></code> instead.  Because of this,
it is recommended to avoid using <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PRE_BUILD</span></code> except when it is known that
a Visual Studio generator is being used.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">PRE_LINK</span></code></dt><dd><p>Run after sources have been compiled but before linking the binary
or running the librarian or archiver tool of a static library.
This is not defined for targets created by the
<span class="target" id="index-2-command:add_custom_target"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_custom_target.html#command:add_custom_target" title="add_custom_target"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_target()</span></code></a> command.</p>
</dd>
<dt><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">POST_BUILD</span></code></dt><dd><p>Run after all other rules within the target have been executed.</p>
</dd>
</dl>
<p>Projects should always specify one of the above three keywords when using
the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">TARGET</span></code> form.  See policy <span class="target" id="index-9-policy:CMP0175"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0175.html#policy:CMP0175" title="CMP0175"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0175</span></code></a>.</p>
<p>All other keywords shown in the signature above have the same meaning as they
do for the <span class="target" id="index-0-command:add_custom_command"></span><a class="reference internal" href="#command:add_custom_command" title="add_custom_command(output)"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command(OUTPUT)</span></code></a> form of the command.
At least one <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> must be given, see policy <span class="target" id="index-10-policy:CMP0175"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../policy/CMP0175.html#policy:CMP0175" title="CMP0175"><code class="xref cmake cmake-policy docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">CMP0175</span></code></a>.</p>
<div class="admonition note">
<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
<p>Because generator expressions can be used in custom commands,
it is possible to define <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">COMMAND</span></code> lines or whole custom commands
which evaluate to empty strings for certain configurations.
For <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-generators.7.html#visual-studio-generators"><span class="std std-ref">Visual Studio Generators</span></a> these command
lines or custom commands will be omitted for the specific
configuration and no &quot;empty-string-command&quot; will be added.</p>
<p>This allows adding individual build events for every configuration.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.21: </span>Support for target-dependent generator expressions.</p>
</div>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.29: </span>The <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">&lt;target&gt;</span></code> may be an <a class="reference internal" href="../manual/cmake-buildsystem.7.html#alias-targets"><span class="std std-ref">ALIAS target</span></a>.</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="examples-build-events">
<h2>Examples: Build Events<a class="headerlink" href="#examples-build-events" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<p>A <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">POST_BUILD</span></code> event may be used to post-process a binary after linking.
For example, the code:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_executable(</span><span class="nb">myExe</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">myExe.c</span><span class="nf">)</span>
<span class="nf">add_custom_command(</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">TARGET</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">myExe</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">POST_BUILD</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">someHasher</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">i</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;$&lt;TARGET_FILE:myExe&gt;&quot;</span>
<span class="w">                     </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">o</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;$&lt;TARGET_FILE:myExe&gt;.hash&quot;</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">VERBATIM</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>will run <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">someHasher</span></code> to produce a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.hash</span></code> file next to the executable
after linking.</p>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.20: </span>One may use generator expressions to specify per-configuration byproducts.
For example, the code:</p>
<div class="highlight-cmake notranslate"><div class="highlight"><pre><span></span><span class="nf">add_library(</span><span class="nb">myPlugin</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">MODULE</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">myPlugin.c</span><span class="nf">)</span>
<span class="nf">add_custom_command(</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">TARGET</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">myPlugin</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="no">POST_BUILD</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">COMMAND</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">someHasher</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">-</span><span class="nb">i</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;$&lt;TARGET_FILE:myPlugin&gt;&quot;</span>
<span class="w">                     </span><span class="p">--</span><span class="nb">as-code</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;myPlugin-hash-$&lt;CONFIG&gt;.c&quot;</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">BYPRODUCTS</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;myPlugin-hash-$&lt;CONFIG&gt;.c&quot;</span>
<span class="w">  </span><span class="no">VERBATIM</span><span class="nf">)</span>
<span class="nf">add_executable(</span><span class="nb">myExe</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="nb">myExe.c</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="s">&quot;myPlugin-hash-$&lt;CONFIG&gt;.c&quot;</span><span class="nf">)</span>
</pre></div>
</div>
<p>will run <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">someHasher</span></code> after linking <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">myPlugin</span></code>, e.g. to produce a <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">.c</span></code>
file containing code to check the hash of <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">myPlugin</span></code> that the <code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">myExe</span></code>
executable can use to verify it before loading.</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="ninja-multi-config">
<h2>Ninja Multi-Config<a class="headerlink" href="#ninja-multi-config" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<div class="versionadded">
<p><span class="versionmodified added">Added in version 3.20: </span><code class="docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_command</span></code> supports the <span class="target" id="index-1-generator:Ninja Multi-Config"></span><a class="reference internal" href="../generator/Ninja%20Multi-Config.html#generator:Ninja Multi-Config" title="Ninja Multi-Config"><code class="xref cmake cmake-generator docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">Ninja</span> <span class="pre">Multi-Config</span></code></a>
generator's cross-config capabilities. See the generator documentation
for more information.</p>
</div>
</section>
<section id="see-also">
<h2>See Also<a class="headerlink" href="#see-also" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p><span class="target" id="index-3-command:add_custom_target"></span><a class="reference internal" href="add_custom_target.html#command:add_custom_target" title="add_custom_target"><code class="xref cmake cmake-command docutils literal notranslate"><span class="pre">add_custom_target()</span></code></a></p></li>
</ul>
</section>
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